Lewis Hamilton recently spoke about his mental health issues in an interview with the Sunday Times. Besides discussing several aspects of his life such as his potential future family and the Black Lives Matter movement, Hamilton also spoke vividly about mental health, which caught the attention of his childhood karting opponent Anthony Davidson.
While the seven-time champion has been speaking about mental health for several years lately, Davidson praised Hamilton and stated that he felt proud about his childhood opponent’s courage to talk about it. On the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Davidson said,
“I have grown up on the kart tracks with Lewis. I’ve been around him my whole life. So, for now, to be talking openly about mental health, and it saddens me in many ways, I’m kinda proud he has come out and talked about, touched on mental health.”
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Lewis Hamilton opened up about his mental health struggles. pic.twitter.com/cunvqq9tvE
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) September 30, 2024
The Sky Sports pundit highlighted how he felt sad thinking about Hamilton‘s childhood struggles, given that he spent time around the Mercedes driver at the kart tracks back then. Perhaps he felt that he could have supported Hamilton and helped him through those tough times as they were in their formative years.
Like Davidson, many people have praised and supported the 39-year-old for discussing his mental health issues. While Hamilton is now in a much better place, people like Natalie Pinkham have applauded his courage to talk about his issues as it has become a healthy norm.
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have also opened up on mental health
In a grueling sport like F1, drivers are often subjected to immense stress and several tense situations from their career’s perspective. So, it will naturally be beneficial for them to talk about their psychological thoughts for the betterment of their mental health.
Norris recently discussed the change in his psychological state as he is currently competing for the 2024 championship. The McLaren driver stated how the pressure on his shoulders messes up his eating and drinking habits. While he hasn’t shown any visible signs of frustration, he stated how he gets nervous before qualifying and on race day.
Even Verstappen has given his thoughts previously on mental health. However, the Dutchman mainly discussed it from a ‘way of life’ perspective.
The 27-year-old has been increasing the time he spends with his loved ones, including his family and his partner Kelly Piquet. Verstappen thinks that this is the best solution to improve one’s mental state and eradicate any issues they may develop due to the stress of their professional careers.
